"My child hates going to OT, Speech and Psych!"
I get told this by so many parents. Here’s exactly what I show them to make things easier for you and less draining for EVERYONE...
From what I can see, there are a lot of families who feel like they are hitting their head against brick walls with the traditional speech therapy, OT and psychology. Those therapies are FANTASTIC - but getting our kids to turn up smiling and keen is tough.
Here’s How To Make Speech/OT/Psych Better:
Do 6-8 Session Blocks: Kids and teens seem to do well with 6-8 session blocks of those intensive therapies. After that many sessions, kids doing Speech/OT/Psych start to feel like it’s mundane and resist it. When you’re booking in, maybe aim for 6-8 session blocks and then a pause before the next block.
Set a high-priority goal, then pause: Why are we doing speech, OT and Psych? It is to get a particular result. We should not be doing it out of routine or out of fear of losing our place, but to get a particular result (For example, overcoming a food aversion or learning to express opinions rather than masking etc). Once those goals are met, it could be time for a pause. Then start again in 2 months when there are new goals to pursue.
Does your child need to change their OT/speechie/psychologist? These therapies are built on the strength of the relationship between your child and your specialist. If the relationship is broken or damaged, ask your provider for a different person. They will usually be happy to help.
Think Outside The Box - Give Your Child Variety:
The traditional therapies of speech, OT and psych are hard work and quite intense for your child. They are necessary, they are purposeful, they are so important, but we are underestimating how exhausting it is for your child. So accept their resistance, without judging it – they are doing their best. There must be some alternative ways in your local area of getting the same skills or building on those newly developed skillls, but in a more fun and engaging and exciting way.
- Scouts/Girl guides/Church Youth Groups
- Local horse-riding therapies
- Local interest groups
Also, do you realise that we run social groups specifically for children and teenagers with Autism, like:
- Minecraft Social Skills Group (meets the same goals that your child speech therapist would be working on)
- Art and Craft Friendship group (instead of talking about having friends, your child will experience what it feels like to have friends in a group like this)
- Our Teens Games Nights (Boardgames, Kahoots, 2 truths & a lie etc etc) - these are so much fun and such a healthy place for the children and teens aged 11-17 to get together and enjoy being social.
So let’s be really clear, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do the traditional therapies. We should. Your child needs them and they work. They’re great.
What I am saying is that Speech/OT/Psych should be for specific goals, for short bursts of time, switching them on and off for variety, built on healthy relationships with specialists, but also backed up by fun therapies that our kids look forward to that are outside the traditional areas.
Keep being an awesome parent,
Michael.
amazingskills.com.au 0481614517
Michael Clark
